A Plea to Preserve the Heart of Path of Exile 2: The Challenge

Dear Grinding Gear Games team,

I write this message not just as a player, but as a passionate advocate for the soul of your game. A game that has been defined by its brutal, unforgiving challenge — a title that forged legends and united a community of players who thrive on the struggle, push their limits, and bond over the trials they endure.

A Diminishing Heartbeat: The Reduction in Monster Health
The recent changes to monster health in Path of Exile 2 are, quite frankly, a devastating shift that threatens to unravel the very essence of what made this sequel so promising. This isn't just about numbers — it's about identity. The relentless struggle against powerful enemies, the fear of defeat, and the satisfaction of overcoming impossible odds are what have always made this series truly meaningful.

By reducing enemy health across the board, you're unintentionally stripping away the soul of the challenge. What once felt like an epic confrontation now risks becoming a routine task, where the intensity of battle is replaced by the hollow ease of steamrolling through enemies. For players like myself who seek tension and thrill, this shift is disheartening. We thrive in chaos, live for the struggle, and savor every hard-fought victory.

What’s at Stake: Losing the True Experience
If this direction continues, the core experience that defines the sequel — the part that keeps so many of us invested — will begin to fade. The thrill of surviving with one breath left, the adrenaline of facing a deadly boss, the sense of pride in building a character that conquers real threats… all of that is at risk.

This isn’t merely about increasing difficulty for its own sake. It’s about retaining what made the franchise special: a ruthless, yet rewarding journey. A world where strength is earned, not handed out. If enemies become too easy to dispatch, what remains? A flattened world with no resistance, no tension, no fear — and ultimately, no satisfaction.

The Game I Fell in Love With
From the beginning, this has always been a game that rewarded mastery. Enemies were meant to be intimidating, punishing, and ultimately gratifying to overcome. Difficulty was never an obstacle — it was the fuel for engagement. Every defeat was a lesson. Every success, a triumph. Without that, the experience becomes forgettable.

So I ask: what will be left when victory is effortless? It’s the struggle — those edge-of-death moments — that define us as players. That connect us to the world you’ve built. If you take that away, the community will lose not just a challenge, but its passion.

The Way Forward: Keep the Challenge Alive
I urge you to reconsider these changes. You’re building something powerful with Path of Exile 2, something that still has the potential to surpass everything before it. But that can only happen if you preserve what made this universe legendary: the weight of combat, the consequences of mistakes, and the glory of survival.

If accessibility is a goal, consider giving players options. A “Brutal” or “Hardcore+” mode could allow those who crave intensity to experience the game as it was first envisioned — where enemies fight back, and each triumph is earned with blood and sweat. Let us choose to walk the hard road.

What Could Be Lost
Continuing down this softened path risks alienating your most devoted players — the ones who embraced the unforgiving nature of the game. You may lose what made this series iconic: the challenge, the mystery, the dread and the thrill. In chasing broad appeal, don’t forget the heart that brought so many of us here.

Hardcore players are a rare breed — we play not for ease, but for purpose. We suffer, adapt, and endure — and through that, we create the legends others read about. We are the ones who understand the depth of this world. And we are the ones who will keep it alive — if you let us.

Please don’t strip away the experience we love. Don't let this sequel lose its fire. The challenge is what makes this game immortal. Without it, the journey fades — and with it, a community that once roared will fall silent.

Preserve the challenge. Preserve the soul.

-1

Bad post. People don't seem to understand that this isn't a soulslike you play through once or twice. It can't be a slog with bad rewards. Players won't want to do that over and over again.

Man there's no point in posting supportive things of the games direction, all the negative whiners have started coming here as well. My only guess is that reddit mods have started actually doi g their jobs and deleting their nonsense negativity, so now they are coming here.

Current experience is pointless grind and hopeless gamba.

sure sure campaign warrior.
This game is not designed around your fantasy, you would know if you ever had entered a map.
White mobs are trash mobs, and as the name suggest shouldn't be much of a challenge.

OP's post is AI slop. I ran it through AI detection and it was a match. Don't bother reading it.